Year 7/8 Student Engagement in Performing Arts

Kate Revell, Year 7/8 Student Engagement in Performing Arts

Winner - University of Canterbury VYT local programme (2023)

This video relates to research currently being undertaken in New Zealand. It uses two te reo Māori words: Kaiako: teacher(s), Tamariki: children

Lyrics:

In performing arts education students are more than a brick in the wall.
They co-create, imagine, take risks, take flight and soar.
Researchers speak of benefits: the arts help kids relate,
Their self-image becomes stronger, they work together and collaborate.
But for some adolescents it’s a bit too much;
Some disengage while others just won’t budge.
It’s too far out of their comfort zone,
And the reasons why they switch are still unknown.
So along came a team of seven kaiako,
Who want to see their students soar,
So we’re working together to find out why
Some students sink while others fly.
So through a series of cycles with students at the heart,
We’ll make changes to how we teach the arts.
So our goals and our research aims
Are to see our tamariki more fully engaged,
Access the arts and create social change.